All-Weather Tires

[Volvo12]

Hello all,

I am new to this forum, but having just purchased a 2012 Volvo XC70 3.2 AWD, I figured it would be worth it to join and see what people have to say.

I live in Michigan, and I'm looking for a tire that I can run all year (size 235/45R19). I really don't want to go the whole dedicated winter/summer route. I've been doing a little research, and it looks like Nokian (??) has something considered an "all-weather" tire called the WRA3. I'm not very familiar with that brand at all. I called a place called TiresByWeb.com yesterday and spoke briefly with someone named Nick, and he gave me some background information as well. Seems like this is a pretty awesome tire. Before I make a purchase (he told me if I were to buy a set by the end of the week, he could take $7/tire off, so I'm looking to possibly do it today), I wanted to know if anyone out there had any experience with Nokian tires? And in particular, the WRA3? Also, has anyone ever dealt with TiresByWeb.com? I've never done the whole online route for tires. You could say I'm a little nervous.

Thank you very much for any feedback!

[slayer8870]

I rented KIA Sportage in Iceland last March, which came with studded Nokian tires (some of those Nordman models I think) and traveled across the whole county in all different weather conditions. I can tell you that these tires saved my a$$ on number of occasions. The most notable case I remember was driving on a solid ice road when I had to stop to take a leak :-). The road was somewhat downhill but very little. The moment I stepped out of the car I started sliding downhill and barely managed to stop myself by grabbing the car front bumper at the last minute - so solid and smooth was the ice and nevertheless driving on it with these tires felt very similar to a rainy road :-)
With all that said I would trust the Finish guys that make those tires in a blip - although my story is more as out of context in regards with the weather conditions in Michigan it still give us you an idea of how these tires are designed.